Cooling and humidifying apparatus.



j. IVI. SEYMOUR, JK.

COOLING AND HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATLON HLEDDEC. e. 191,5.

Patented Dec. 12, 19.16.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES:

AMM/@M31 @www J. |\/i. SEYMOUR, Jn. comme AND HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6. 1915. v

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR www me? ATTO R N EYS JAMES 1W. SEYM'UR, JR., 0F NEWRK, NEW JERSEY.

CLXNG AND HUMEDUEYKNG APPARATUS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Deo, 3125, lhilt..

Application filed. December 6, 1915. Serial No. @5A-03.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that ll, JAMES ll/l. Snriuonn,

d r., a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Newark, in the county ot' lssex and State ot New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Cooling and llumidifying Apparatus; and l do hereby declare the following to be a lull, clear, and exact description oit the invention, such as will enable others slrilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, ret'- erence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which torni a part oit this specilication.

The present invention has reference, generally to improvements in cooling and humiditying apparatus, and the invention relates, more particularly, to a novel construction ot apparatus which serves the double purpose ot a cooling or ret'rigerative device for reducing the temperature ol"I Water or other fluids moving in a circulating cooling system, such tor example as the water jaclrets of internal combustion engines and the like, and ofi a humidiiiying device Afor cooling and moistening atmospheric air.

llie invention has tor its principal object to provide a very simple, cheapfand easily operated mechanism for the purposes above mentioned, in which the essential feature of novelty resides in a rotor-member provided with propeller or tan blades adapted to be set in motion by a blast ot quickly moving air, said rotor-member being itselt oit novel construction and adapted to be partiallyA submerged in the duid to be cooled and partially exposed to the blast ot moving air so that as it rotates a portion of its surface constantly enters and emerges from the tluid to be cooled and thus subjects the thin film of that tluid which it piclrs up on its surface to the evaporating eltects of the blast ot air, thus not only cooling the rotor-member so that it will constantly take up or absorb heat units from the tluid as it moves into the latter, but will also, during the evaporation activity, liberate moisture into said blast ot air with humiditying eilect thereupon so that said blast ot air may nally pass into the atmosphere ot a room orY other place with humidity/ing ed'ect thereupon. i

l further object ot the present invention is to provide the-novel air driven rotorniernber, thus eliminating the necessity of employing power consuming reduction transmission gearing, and rendering the rotation of said rotor-member at very slow speeds easily attained with a minimum expenditure ot power or energy.

@ther objects ot the present invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood trom the following detailed description ot the same.

lflfith the various objects oit the present invention in view, the same consists, primarily, in the novel construction of refrigerative and humidit'ying apparatus hereinalter set torth; and the invention consists9 furthermore, in the novel arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as vvell as in the details of the construction ot the same, all ot which will be more itully described in detail in the tollowing specitication, and then iinally embodied in the claims which are appendedto and which form an essential part oli' said specification.

'lllie invention is clearly illustrated in the accomganyingdrawings, in whichz Figure l. is a longitudinal vertical section of one torni ot t le novel construction oit retrigerative humiditying apparatus, made according to and embodying the principles ot the present invention, Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same taken on line 2--3 in said Fig. l, looking in the direction ot the arrow lig. 3 is a transverse section ot the same taken on line 2 3 in said llig. l, loolring in the direction oit the arrow y. Fig. t is another transverse section of the same talren on line fl in said llig. "l, also looking in the direction of the arrow y. liig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of a slightly modified torni oi my novel relrigerative and humiditying apparatus, the same still embodying however the principles of my present invention.

Similar characters of reference areL employed in all or the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the said drawings, the reference character l indicates the complete refrigerative and Iyhumiditying apparatus, made according to and embodying the principles ot my present invention, the same comprising a casing 2, preferably of cylindrical form, the same being open at its ends so as to provide an air inlet opening 3 at one end and an air outlet opening l at the opposite end. Arranged within the interior 5 of said casing, and properly spaced one from the Y other so as to provide a trough like fluid reservoir 6, are a pair of transversely extending partition-members 7, the same extending in height about one-half, more or less, of the diameter of said casing so as to leave an air passage within the interior 5 of said casing above said reservoir 6. -Connected withthe walls of said casing 1, in any suitable location so as to enter said reservoir 6, is a fluid feed or inlet pipe 8, and in like manner connected with said walls, in any suitable location so as to communicate with said reservoir 6, is a fluid return pipe 9, said pipes 8 and 9 being adapted to serve merely as supply and drain pipes to the reservoir 6, or they are adapted to be connected in and form a part of any desirable forni of circulating'fluid cooling system, such for example as the water jackets and circulating system of the water cooling devices of an internal combustion engine, or any other machinery or apparatus employing a. similar cooling system.

1 Suitably secured to each partition-member 7, and centrally located with reference to the cross area of the interior of said casing 1,'are bearing-members 10 in which is mounted a longitudinally extending rotor-shaft l1 adapted to rotate freely and easily in said bearings. Secured upon the forward end of said rotor-shaft 11, so as to be located exterior of the forward partition-member 7 of the reservoir/6, is a propeller-member 12, having a series of properly set propellerblades 13. rSecured upon said rotor-shaft 11, so as to be located between said partition members 7, is a rotor-member. This rotormember may be constructed in various ways and of various materials, the essential feature or necessity thereof being a construction which will provide a maximum area of surface compactly arranged, and to which both fluid and air has easy and quick ac-l cess as the rotor-member moves into and out of those elements. The vconstruction of rotor-member which I find preferable, and which possesses all of the desired qualifications, comprises a hub-member 14 which is secured or fixed upon the rotor-shaft 11. Connected with or mounted upon said hubmember 14 is a thin plate-like body-member 15, preferably made of sheet metal, the same being curledaround said hub-member 14 in the form of a spiral in such a manner as to leave anv intervening space or opening 16 between `'its convolutions through which both air and the fluid may readily contact with the plane surfaces of said body-member 15.

In order to secure said body-member 15 to said hub-member 14 so that it will properly rotate with the latter, the convolutions of said body-member are drilled through radially tothe hub-member, and screwthreaded bolts 17 are passed therethrough so as to finally screw into said hub-member. rlhe screw-threads of the bolts 17 in passing through said convolutions of the body-member engage the thin plate-like sheet-metal of which it is constructed, and thus serve to maintain said convolutions properly spaced from each other so as to maintain and provide said space or opening 16 therebetween. As thus mounted and constructed said rotor-member substantially fills the cross sectional area of the interior 5 of' the casing 1, and as the samerotates a portion of the same passes continuously from contact with the fluid in the reservoir 6 into the current of a. blast of air which is driven through said interior 5 of said casing 1. Consequently the thin film of moisture which adheres to the surface of the convolntions of said rotor-member is evaporated by thehlast of air which flows through the space or opening 16 between the said convolutions of the rotor-member, and therefore cools the surface of the convolutions thus exposed to said air blast, hence when the rotation of the rotor-member again carries the portion of its surface thus cooled into the fluid contained in the reservoir 6, said cooled portion of the rotor-member will absorb heat units from the fluid contained in the reservoir, and consequently the rotor-member acts with refrigerative effect upon such fluid, and the latter may pass out through the return pipe 9 into a circulating cooling system, as above referred to. In addition to this refrigerative effect of the rotor-member upon the fluid contained and circulated through said reservoir 6, the additional function of the apparatus is to moisten the blast of air coming in contact with the rotor-member, so that such air may be expelled into or liberated within a room with humidifying effect upon the atmosphere thereof, as will be readily understood. `Located at the air inlet opening 3 of said casing 1, is an electric motor element 18, supported in suitable relation to said casing 1 by means of proper frame or bracket-members 19. The shaft 2O of said motor 18 extends for a short distance into the interior 5 of said casing 1, and secured upon such inner end of said shaft Q0 is an air blast fan 21, the vanes 22 of which tend to draw the air from the exterior atmosphere and then force the same in a comparatively swift current or blast through the interior 5 of said casing 1, in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Since the propeller-member 12 is located in the path of the current or blast-of air generated by said air blast fan 2.1, it follows that tln` contact of said moving current or blast of air with its obliquely set propeller-blznles lil causes the saine to rotate, and consequently furnish the motive power for rotating said rotor-member for the purposes above mentioned.

It will be readily understood that it is incasso preferable that the rotor-member be rotated at a slow speed so that ample time for the cooling and evaporation activity above described may be allowed for in order to utilize the full efficiency of the rotor-member, and it Will also be understood that the air current or blast generating fan 2l must be run at comparatively high speed in order to move the air current or blast rapidly enough through the interior of the casing 1.

course, it Will be clear, that Within certain limits the speed of rotation of the rotormember may be more or less controlled by the speed of movement imparted to the air current or blast by the fan 2l, so long as said aircurrent or biast is not reduced to such an extent as to impair its efficiency in its cooling and evaporating effects upon the rotor-member. iff, however, slower speed the rotor-member is desired Without necessity of reducing the speed or volume of the air current or blast, the same easily be attained by securing upon the outer circumferential surface of said rotor-member one Aor more checking-beides 23, which will radiate from said surface and as they come in contact with the duid in the reservoir i3 will check the speed of said rotormember and tend to prevent the same from racing.

Referring now to llig. 5 of the said drawings, l have illustrated therein a slightly modified construction of my novel refrigerative and humidifying apparatus, the same comprising a casing 2a, provided with the interior reservoir 25, the transverse parti-- tions 26 of which are provided with bearings 26 lin which a rotor-shaft 27 is journaled. Mounted o-n said rotor-shaft 2'?, above said reservoir 25, is a rotor-member 28 of substantially the same construction as heretofore described, and secured upon the forward end of said .rotor-shaft 27, exterior of said reservoir 25, is a driving propeller-jmember 29 for' rotating said. rotormember. Connected with the air intake end of said casing 2i is a hood-member 30 having a centrally disposed opening 31, at which point is connected an air supply pipe 32. Connected with the apparatus, so as to communicate with the reservoir 25 is the duid supply pipe 33 and the fluid return pipe Si, which may be connected with a circulating cooling system if desired. The apparatus as thus constructed may be used in plurality inseveral locations, all of the same i being coupled With a single source of air current adapted to be delivered thereto through the air' supply pipe 32. fn operations, functions and effects, so far as the rotor member and its driving means are concerned, this form of apparatus is the same as already above described.

rllhe operations and functions of my novel refrigerative and humidifying apparatus Will be clearly understood from the above description thereof without necessity for further amplification of what has therein been set forth, except to point out that its construction permits of operation with great economy of power involving as it does the use of an air blast or current both to rotate its rotor-member and to supply air current for the evaporating and humidifying effects, and consequently eliminating all necessity for employing separate driving transmission for the rotor-member including power consuming reduction gearing or some such similar and cumbersome mechanical transmission devices. p

l am aware that some changes may be made in the arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts of my novel apparatus, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the foregoing specification, and as shown in the accompanying drawings. Hence, ll do not limit my invention to the enact arrangements and combinations of the parts as described in the foregoing specification and as illustrated in the ac-A companying drawings, nor do l confine myself .to the exact details of the construction of the said parts3 li claim.

1, The combination with an open-ended casing provided in its interior with a fluid reservoir, of a rotor element mounted to rotate partially in said reservoir and partially in a current of air passed through said casing, means for rotating said rotor-member actuated by said current of air passed through said casing, and means for checking the speed of rotation of said rotor-member, comprising checking-baffles secured to and radiating from its circumferential surface.

2. ln an apparatus of the kind described, the combination with an open-ended casing provided in its interior with a fluid reservoir, of a fluid supply pipe and a fiuid outlet pipe connected in communication with said reservoir, a rotor-element mounted to rotate partially in said reservoir and partially in a current of air passed through said casing, and a propeller fan located within said casing connected With said rotor-member and actuated by said current of" air passed through said casing.

3. The combination with -an open-ended casing provided in its interior with a fluid reservoir, of a longitudinal rotor-shaft mounted within said casing above said reservoir, a rotor-element comprising a hub fixed on said rotorshaft, a main body-member in the form of a spirally wound thin plate-like band having an opening or space between its convolution and means for securing said body-member to said hub, said rotor-member being adapted to rotate partially in said ill@ reservoir and partially in a current of air passed through said casing above said reser- Voir, and a propeller-member located lwithin said casing secured to the forward end of said rotor-shaft exterior of said reservoir adapted to be actuated to rotate said rotorshaft and its rotor-member by said current of air passed through said casing.

4. rIhe combination with an open ended' casingprovided in its interiorl with a fluid reservoir, of a longitudinal rotor-shaft mounted within said casing above said reservoir, a rotor-element comprising a hub fixed on said rotor-shaft, a main bodymember in the form of a spirally wound thin plate-like band having an opening or space between its convolutions and means for securing said body-member to said hub, said rotor-member being adapted to rotate partially in said reservoir and partially in a current of air passed through said casing above said reservoir, a propeller-member located within said casing secured to the forward end of said rotor-shaft exterior of 'said reservoir adapted to be actuated to rotate said rotor-shaft and its rotor-member by said current of air passed through said casing, an air-blast generating fan located within the entrance of said casing forward of said propeller-member, and means for driving said fan.

5. rIhe combination with an open-ended casing provided in its interior with a fluid reservoir, of a longitudinal mounted within said casing above said reservoir, a rotor-element comprising a hub fixed on said rotor-shaft, a main body-member in the form of a spirally Wound thin plate1ike band having an opening or space between its convolutions and means for securing said body-member to said hub, said rotor-member being adapted to rotate partially in said reservoir and partially in a current of air passed through said casing above said reservoir, a propeller-member located Within said casing secured to the forward end of said rotor-shaft exterior of said reservoir adapted rotor-shaft l to be actuated to rotate said rotor-shaft and its rotor-member by said current of air passed through said casing, an air-blast generating fan located within the entrance of said casing forward of said propeller-ineinber, means for driving said fan, and means for checking the speed ofk rotation of said rotor-member, comprising checking-balles secured to and radiating from its circumferential surface.

6. The combination with an open-ended casing provided in its interior with a fluid reservoir, of a longitudinal rotor-shaft mounted within said casing above said reservoir7 a rotor-element comprising a hub fixed on said rotor-sha.ft, a main body-member in the form of a spirally wound thin plate-like band having an opening or space between its convolutions and means for securing said body-member to said hub, said rotor-meinber being adapted to rotate partially in said reservoir and partially in a current of air passed through said casing above said reservoir, a propeller-member located within said casing secured to the forward end of said rotor-shaft exterior of said reservoir adapted to be actuated to rotate said rotorshaft and its rotor-member by said current of air passed through said casing, a fluid supply pipe and a fluid outlet pipe connected in communication with said reservoir, an airblast generating fan located within the entrance of said casing forward of said propeller-member, means for driving said fan, and means for checking the speed of rotation of said rotor-member7 comprising checkingbafiles secured to and radiating from its circumferential surface.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this'2nd day of December, 1910.

JAMES M. SEYMOUR, J n.

Witnesses:

GEORGE D. RICHARDS, FREDK. H. W. FRAENTZEL. 

